She Had Stomach Pain that Turned Out to Be Pieces of Braces
Terrifying news for anyone who’s ever had braces: A woman who wore braces 10 years ago found out she still had parts of them — in her belly.
The 30-year-old Australian woman went to the hospital with complaints of severe stomach pain and cramping, Dr. Talia Shepherd reported in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports. At first, doctors thought it might be issues from her gall bladder. So after the pain went away, she was sent back home.
But then she came back two days later with the same exact problem. So the professionals took her to the CT scanner, and they spotted the problem area.
MUST-SEE: The Cause for Your Chronic Knee Pain May Be In This Surprising Spot Higher Up in Your Body
“We saw that in the middle quite a large loop of dilated, unhappy bowel with this foreign body that could possibly have been a fish bone, because that is what we see more commonly,” Dr. Shepard said. “It turned out to be a seven-centimeter piece of orthodontic wire from braces she had 10 years earlier.”
As it turned out, this piece of wire had pierced the poor woman’s intestine in multiple spots, causing a condition that made the intestine twist around itself. Yikes! We confess, we’re in pain just looking at this picture.
It gets even stranger. The woman said she had no recollection of ever swallowing the wire back when she had braces. And it took a decade for her to feel this type of intense pain from the wire in its new home.
MUST-SEE: This Simple Move Can Make Your Worst Back Pain Disappear
“I think it was probably just sitting there in her stomach the whole time,” Dr. Shepherd said. “And then when the small bowel was punctured, that’s when the pain started.”
As odd as this story is, it has a happy ending: The wire did not cause any permanent damage to the woman’s intestine.
“She is now well and carrying on with her life,” Dr. Shepherd said.
As she should!
h/t KansasCity.com
More from FIRST
Her Freckles Turned Out to Be a Sign of Breast Cancer
New Parents Were Overjoyed to Hold Their Baby After a C-Section. Then, They Got the Hospital Bill
Woman’s Itch Turned Out to Be Life-Threatening Disease
ARNICARE FOR PAIN AND BRUISES!
Powered by Arnica montana, Arnicare® is designed to treat muscle pain, swelling, and discoloration from bruising. The unscented gel cools on contact and absorbs quickly into your skin, leaving no sticky or greasy residue, and provides you with the relief you seek. Learn more at Arnicare.com.
